Rideau Canal – Jones Falls

Locks 40, 41, and 42 of the Rideau Canal.

Take a drive up Montreal Street and the Battersea Road north of Kingston for about 45km, and you’ll get to one of the most scenic spots along the Rideau Canal. After the road winds through the scenic cottage country for about 40km, the road turns right at a tee junction. After a few more kilometers, look for an unassuming dirt side road to the right, which takes you to a small parking lot overlooking the locks.

Lock 39.

The four locks at Jones Falls connect Sand Lake with Whitefish Lake. The locks are in two groups. First, lock 39 leads from Sand Lake to a small lake shown in the above photo. Locks 40 to 42 then lead further down to Whitefish Lake. Further downstream are the Upper Brewers Locks.

Manually operated valve controls.

As with most other locks on the Rideau, the locks are all controlled manually, with operators opening and closing the valves and the gates. Of the 49 locks of the entire canal, the only electrically operated locks are at Newboro, Smith Falls, and Black Rapids.

Boat cruising between locks 41 and 42.

The Rideau Canal opens on the Victoria Day weekend in May. These photos were taken at the beginning of October, near the end of the canal’s operating season. Not many pleasure boats ply the waters at that time, but the trees in their fall colors make this an ideal time to visit and take pictures.